


When I Ran into You

by ReeLeeV



Series: IRIDESCENT -Hyungwonho Bingo Challenge- [5]
Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Family, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-29
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-10-25 04:26:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10756692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReeLeeV/pseuds/ReeLeeV
Summary: Hoseok has an unexpected encounter when picking his son up from school, which has the potential to make things harder for Changkyun in class. Will he be able to make up for his mistake, or is it all doomed?Thanks to my Big Sis for the idea!!!!!! <3<3My fifth submission for the Hyungwonho Iridescent Bingo Challenge





	1. Chapter 1

Hoseok puffs out an annoyed breath, drumming his thumbs on the steering wheel to the beat pouring out from the radio. He glances out the passenger window, just in time to see his son walk slowly out the school building. He gets out instinctively, and kneels next to the door to the backseat. Changkyun sights his father immediately and begins running towards him, smiling widely. Hoseok spreads his arms wide as his son propels himself towards him.

“How was your day, Kukkungie?” Hoseok asks, squeezing his son tight. Changkyun giggles at the affection, and presses a kiss to Hoseok’s cheek before pulling away.

“We’re starting a new project for science!” Changkyun replies excitedly. Hoseok chuckles knowingly, releasing his son and opening the door for him.

“That’s great, Kyunnie!” Hoseok tells him as he bends down to make sure his son buckles up. Changkyun does so, a proud smile coming to him as Hoseok ruffles his hair as a reward. He then closes the door and returns to his own seat, hoping to leave the pickup line as soon as possible. Luckily, a lot of the moms haven’t come through yet, and therefore haven’t seen him. If he can make it out of the line today without getting hit on by a soccer mom, it’d be a miracle.

“What’s the project going to be on?” Hoseok continues the conversation after buckling in himself.

“I don’t know yet,” Changkyun answers, bouncing in his seat. “We have to wait until we can talk about it with our partners.”

“Who’s your partner?” Hoseok asks as he glances back in the rearview mirror to check his surroundings, though admittedly he glances at his son more than the cars around him.

“The class president,” Changkyun replies, his bouncing subsiding slightly. “I’m kind of nervous, Appa. He seems really scary.” Hoseok hums, putting the car in reverse and backing up. He’s about to assure his son that it won’t be as bad as he thinks, that he’s sure him and the class president will get along, but a car bumping into the back of his own stops him.

His heart falls, a fender bender being the last thing he needs today. He glances around to get to his insurance information, but pauses. It’s then his foot had been pressed down on the accelerator, not the break.

He sighs at himself in aggravation as he exits the car, telling Changkyun to just wait for a minute. Changkyun dutifully nods, leaning up in his seat to try and see what was going on. Hoseok watches as a tall, lean man exits the car he had run into, a clear look of annoyance set on his face. Hoseok’s steps falter as he goes over to speak with the other parent, the sheer beauty of the man before him taking him aback and turning him into a blubbering mess.

“S-S-Sorry,” Hoseok stutters, his sudden nerves calling his lisp forth. “I was just t-talking to m-my son and, I… Sorry. I’ll p-pay for the damages.” The strange man huffs out an aggravated sigh, glancing down at their cars with an unreadable expression.

“We’ll just let our insurance companies handle it,” the taller says at last, his voice sounding as if he doesn’t quite believe his own words. Hoseok’s eyes widen slightly in surprise despite himself, having fully expected the other to completely go off on him judging by his intimidating silence and cold gaze. Hoseok nods, moving to get his insurance information. The other does the same, leaning into his car to retrieve the materials before returning to hand it over to the one who had damaged his vehicle.

“Sorry again,” Hoseok apologizes, bowing humbly. Hyungwon waves him off with an annoyed hand, snatching back his information and getting back into his car. Hoseok blinks in surprise, biting back a sigh as he follows suit. He buckles himself back into his seat and waits for the other to leave the parking lot. Luckily, they turn separate ways at the exit.

Hoseok can’t get the face of the other male out of his mind. He honestly could be a model with looks like those, or even an idol. He shakes his head, forcing himself to focus on the road. Another collision would just be icing on the cake of today.

 

It isn’t until they’re pulling into the parking garage of their apartment building that Hoseok realizes how quiet Changkyun has been ever since the accident. As he pulls into a parking spot, Hoseok turns around in his seat, concern in his eyes as he regards his son. The boy is pouting at his lap, anxiety shining in his eyes.

“Kukkungie?” Hoseok asks, his voice causing his son to visibly jolt in surprise. “What’s wrong?”

“Appa,” Changkyun says nervously, chewing on his bottom lip as he blinks rapidly, “that car you hit at school, that man that got out… That was my partner’s appa…”

Hoseok’s heart drops to the floorboard, unable to keep himself from rubbing his face with a hand. Of course it had been. It’s just his luck to have run into the father of his kid’s science partner, who Changkyun is nervous about working with enough as is. Hoseok drops his hand, meeting Changkyun’s almost frantic gaze. He tries for a smile, hoping it doesn’t come out as stressed as he feels.

“Don’t worry,” Hoseok tries to assure his son, “he didn’t seem that mad about it. In fact, he was really understanding.”

“Really?” Changkyun asks, the pitch of his voice heightening in hope. He then sinks back into his seat, his brow creasing in confusion. “But, he seemed so mad…”

“Nah,” Hoseok lies through his teeth, “he understood. It was only a little fender bender, after all.” He then pauses, stretching back to ruffle his son’s hair. “Don’t worry about it, Kyunnie. Appa took care of everything.” Changkyun giggles, fixing his hair as he unbuckles and grabs his bag before leaving the car. Hoseok follows suit, ignoring his heavy shoulders at lying to his son.

 _No need to make him worry for nothing_ , Hoseok consoles himself. _It’ll be fine. He’s worried enough about working with that kid to begin with. I don’t need to add to it. Parents lie to their kids all the time about way worse stuff, anyway. It’s okay._

 

On the other side of town, Chae Hyungwon and his son, Kihyun pull into the driveway of their home. Kihyun had been reading the whole ride, as always, and wordlessly gets his things before leaving the car. Hyungwon follows, eyes lingering on the slightly dented metal where that ditzy man had hit him. He fights back a sigh, and ignores the mark to go and unlock the door.

“How was school today?” he asks his son as they remove their shoes at the door. Kihyun releases a breath through his teeth in response, turning to go to the living room. Hyungwon watches his son curiously, following him.

“We got assigned partners for a science project today,” Kihyun tells him, monotone as he pulls books and folders from his bag. “We’re getting the actual topic of the project tomorrow.”

“Who’s your partner?” Hyungwon continues, sitting on the couch by where his son sits cross-legged on the floor. He absentmindedly begins to pet his son’s brown hair, and the boy leans into the touch like a kitten.

“You met his appa in the parking lot,” Kihyun murmurs absentmindedly, pouting slightly as he leans forward to begin on his work. Hyungwon’s blood bubbles in annoyance at the memory, having to hold back an aggravated sigh. Hopefully his son is smarter than him, or else Kihyun is going to eat him alive. ~~~~


	2. Chapter 2

Changkyun enters the classroom the next day with a flurry of butterflies going crazy in the pit of his stomach. He hadn’t wanted to eat breakfast, but he knew his appa would be worried if he didn’t, so he forced himself to eat. He regrets it now, feeling like he’ll throw it up at any moment. Doing anything that required talking to other people set him on edge anyway, still too much of the new kid to be accepted in this advanced science class. But, the fact that he has to talk to the class president…

It’s enough to make Changkyun wish he had stayed home today.

The older glances up from his desk, as if hearing Changkyun’s thoughts, and motions at the younger for him to sit beside him. The seating arrangement was changed around the day before so the kids could sit next to their partners, something everyone but Changkyun was excited about.

“Hi,” Kihyun greets with a nod, fiddling with his glasses as the younger sits. He stops writing in his notebook, and turns to give the boy his fullest attention. Changkyun nervously smiles, bowing respectfully to the older. Kihyun watches him move, and notes his anxiety. Kihyun can’t help but sigh in exasperation at this.

“Look,” he says, “you don’t have to be so nervous around me, okay? If you are, then it’ll make this project harder than it should be.” Changkyun blushes to the tips of his ears, but nods fervently all the same. Kihyun smirks, finding the reaction to his bluntness kind of cute. Usually people would just scoff or tell him to back off, or even remind him that there’s such a thing as manners. But, not this kid. Kihyun likes that.

“Okay class,” the teacher calls over the chatter of her students, clapping to get their attention. “Today I’ll give you your project topics right away so you can spend the morning planning out what you’re going to do.” She then rattles off a list of subject matters, adding in students’ names at appropriate times. Changkyun and Kihyun dutifully write down their topic, the ecosystem, and begin to discuss what they could do with such a broad topic.

 

“I think we’ll need some more time to talk about this,” Kihyun sighs, raking a hand through his hair as he looks at the clock and sees they’re nearly out of time. He sucks in a breath through his teeth, adding, “I had really wanted to at least figure out what we were going to do today…”

“We could talk after school,” Changkyun suggests, though he doesn’t know why. With a start, he realizes he had enjoyed talking to the older. He’s easier to talk to than the others. Perhaps it’s his height, which is similar to Changkyun’s, that makes him so relatable. Or, maybe it’s his chubby cheeks that Changkyun thinks are so cute he just wants to pull at and pinch.

Changkyun clears his throat, suddenly breaking his gaze on the older and looking down at his desk embarrassedly.

 _No, no pinching faces of people you’ve just met_ , he chastises. _Bad, bad Changkyunnie._ _You’ll ruin this friendship before it even starts._

“That sounds like a good idea,” Kihyun says, oblivious to the younger’s thoughts. “But, it can’t be at my house. My appa’s working until late tonight.”

“You could come home with me,” Changkyun offers. Kihyun glances over questioningly, wondering if that’d really be okay. “Really,” Changkyun adds, nodding, “my appa would be okay with it, as long as yours is.” Kihyun stares down at his own desk, pouting in thought, before he finally raises his hand to get the teacher’s attention.

“May we go to the office?” he asks when she calls on him. “We need to talk to our parents.” The woman hesitates a moment, unsure of if that should be considered a proper excuse, but eventually lets it slide for her two best students. She nods, telling them to make sure to grab the hall pass, and they do so, Changkyun confusedly following the older from the room.

“We need to make sure your appa would be able to pick me up,” Kihyun explains, noting the younger’s silence. “There’s rules for this kind of thing.” Changkyun makes a sound of realization with his mouth, nodding in understanding. Kihyun chuckles at the expression, shaking his head at his cute partner.

He’s sure if he were paired with anyone else, he’d have been able to iron down a subject matter to study for the project by now, and possibly writing out an experiment. But, Changkyun is absolutely too cute for his own good, and incredibly distracting for Kihyun. They ended up bonding over similar interests in music and comic books, and very much not getting any work done.

They reach the office, and Kihyun asks immediately if he can use the phone. The office workers are a bit taken aback by the kid’s straightforwardness, used to kids at this school mumbling out responses shyly until they warm up to the adults. However, they point him to the phone available to students for use, and Kihyun steps up the stepstool to dial out his appa’s cell phone number.

 

Hyungwon adjusts his stance slightly, showing off his silhouette a bit better than before. The photographer before him makes a sound of approval. Hyungwon holds back the tired sigh he feels coming up, the monotony of it all bearing down on him like a weight trying to push him into the ground at his feet. He wishes he could just do away with the whole modeling career, but knows he can’t. He has no other way to support for his son and himself, and he’s pretty sure Kihyun’s gotten too accustomed to having a roof over his head to have it pulled away from him now.

Hyungwon’s agent suddenly waves to him from the sidelines, holding his cell phone in his hand, the screen lighting up with an incoming call. Hyungwon asks for a break from the photographer, who’s more than happy to give it to one of the best subjects he’s ever worked with, and he goes over to his agent to retrieve the device. He glances at the Caller ID, anxiety ripping through him in an instant at seeing it’s Kihyun’s school calling.

“Appa!” Kihyun greets, only serving to worsen his stress. If it isn’t the principal calling, if it’s his son, then he can only be sick or injured. That’s the only reason he’d think to call during the day.

“Kihyunnie?” Hyungwon asks worriedly. “Is everything okay?” Kihyun hums in response, and Hyungwon releases a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

“I’m okay, Appa,” Kihyun tells him. “I just need to go over to Changkyunnie’s house today after school to work on our project.”

“Um,” Hyungwon hesitates, biting his lower lip. He instinctively checks in a mirror to make sure his makeup hadn’t been smudged, which luckily it hadn’t. “I don’t know, Kihyunnie. I don’t know where that is, and it isn’t as if his appa has permission to pick you up from school, anyway.”

“But you can approve it,” Kihyun points out stubbornly. “Appa, we didn’t get a lot done in class today, and I don’t want to fall behind. _Please_?”

Hyungwon’s eyes flick up to the ceiling in thought, not really sure if it was such a good idea. He had never met the man outside of their collision the day before, and honestly the man seemed a bit _too ditzy_ to be trusted with his son. He sighs, turning back around at the call of his name. The photographer is calling him over to look at the new shots.

“Have you asked Changkyun-ah’s appa to see if it’s even okay with him?” Hyungwon finds himself asking.

“I wanted to make sure it was okay with you first…”

“Give me his number and I’ll talk to him today,” Hyungwon tells his son, hearing the evident disappointment in his voice. He can’t stand to disappoint Kihyun, even if it’s for something like this.

 _No wonder the brat is so spoiled_ , Hyungwon muses fondly, rolling his eyes at himself. Kihyun hums again, and there’s murmurings on the other line before Kihyun starts to rattle off a string of numbers. Hyungwon fumbles around for a moment to find something to copy them down with, agent confusedly handing him a notepad and pen she keeps in her pocket eventually.

“I’m not promising anything,” Hyungwon warns his son, though even to him it sounds halfhearted. “I’m just going to talk to him. If he says okay with it, then I’ll call the school back to add him to the list of people who can pick you.”

“Don’t forget to call halmeoni about the change of plans!” Kihyun chirps happily. He then tells his father goodbye and hangs up, without even waiting for a response. Hyungwon sighs exasperatedly, handing his phone back to his agent with a shake of his head.

“Is Kihyun-ah doing okay?” she asks concernedly. Hyungwon waves off her worry, smiling gratefully at her for the question.

“He’s fine,” he tells her. “Just needed to ask something.” She hums in acknowledgment, and then follows him over to where the photographer is. He then focuses on the job at hand, shaking his head free from thoughts of the man he needs to call on his next break. ~~~~


	3. Chapter 3

Hyungwon sighs heavily, pressing the cellular device to his ear as the makeup artist walks away once she finishes doing the necessary touchups. He doesn’t particularly want to speak with that man… well… ever again. But, one can’t always have what he wants.

“Hello,” the strangely familiar voice answers after only the second ring.

“Hi,” Hyungwon greets, “this is Chae Hyungwon, calling for Shin Hoseok.” There’s silence on the other line, and Hyungwon can almost hear the wheels in the other man’s mind turning at trying to figure out who he could possibly be. “You ran into me in the parking lot yesterday,” he prompts, and he’s pretty sure the other drops his phone judging by the sounds on the line.

“Oh!” the man says in realization at last. “S-Sorry about that, again.” There’s a nervous chuckle, and Hyungwon has to roll his eyes. Otherwise, he’d smile at hearing such an oddly delightful sound, and he doesn’t need such an observation to cross his mind. He needs to be cool and collected, because this is for his son.

“I’m sure you know our sons are science partners for a project at school,” Hyungwon continues, ignoring the apology. There’s a hum from the other, so Hyungwon goes on. “Apparently, they didn’t get enough time to work on the project today. My son called me, and asked if I’d be okay with him going over to your house after school today…”

“Um,” Hoseok muses, clearly taken aback by the request, “are you sure you’re okay with that? It’s awfully sudden.” Hyungwon can’t help but chuckle at this, nodding his head.

“I agree,” Hyungwon says, his tone much warmer than before, “but my Kihyunnie always has a way of getting what he wants, anyway, so I might as well agree.” Hoseok chuckles as well, as if he knows all too well the struggle of raising a spoiled only child.

“If you’re sure you’re okay with it,” Hoseok says at last, “then I don’t mind. In fact, it could be good for Changkyun-ah to have a friend over after school like this.” Hyungwon hums, getting the sense that the other’s son isn’t typically all that social and not knowing how exactly to respond to this. Or, if he even needs to respond.

“I’ll go over to the school on my break to add you to the list of people that can pick Kihyun up from school, then,” Hyungwon tells him.

“Sounds good,” Hoseok comments. “Do you need my address to pick him up once they’re done, or would you like me to drive him home?”

“I can come pick him up,” Hyungwon replies, admittedly surprised that the other had thought of the pickup arrangements after the day without him mentioning it. Perhaps he isn’t as ditzy as he had seemed at first…

Hoseok proceeds to tell Hyungwon the address, but has to go soon after to get back to work. Hyungwon hangs up the call and frowns confusedly, pressing a hand to his chest.

Why is his heart beating so fast?

  
“There’s my Changkyunnie!” Hoseok greets, hugging his son tight as he comes to the car. He releases Changkyun, glancing over to the chubby brunette boy with glasses. “You must be Kihyun-ah. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He extends a hand to shake, which Kihyun takes with a raised brow, seeming surprised for whatever reason.

“Thank you for inviting me to your home, ahjussi,” the boy says politely.

“It's not a problem, Kihyun-ah,” he tells the boy in a lighthearted tone, despite how on-edge he feels for being responsible for another man’s child. “Any friend of Changkyunnie’s is welcome any time at our home.” He then turns and opens the back door for the two, and reminds them to buckle in before closing the door and moving to his own seat. He takes a deep breath to steady his own anxiety, having never been responsible for any kid other than his own, and slides into the driver’s seat.

  
The kids rush off to Changkyun's room to begin working as soon as they arrive at the apartment. Hoseok feels obligated to make a snack for them, which he does, luckily, manage to do. He listens in on their discussion every so often from the living room, a feat easy in a small apartment like theirs, and can't help but chuckle at noting each time that schoolwork seems to be the last thing on their mind. They bond over anything you can imagine two boys could bond over, and Hoseok honestly doesn't find himself minding all that much.

Ever since Changkyun's mother left them to become a movie star in America, the poor boy had never really opened up to anyone other than his father. Being in advanced classes hasn't exactly helped Changkyun's popularity, either, but Hoseok won't even entertain the notion of dumbing down his brilliant son just so he could make friends. However, Changkyun seems to have no issue speaking with Kihyun, and the older seems to almost enjoy talking with the boy. Hoseok can't help but sigh, hoping desperately that this could be the beginnings of an actual friendship.

  
Seemingly all too soon, there's a knock on the front door. Hoseok goes to answer it, and can't help but smile nervously at seeing Kihyun's father standing on the other side.

“Hyungwon-ssi,” Hoseok says surprisedly, glancing down at his phone to check the time. “Wow, I didn't even realize the time. Please, come in.” Hoseok moves to allow the taller entrance, mentally thanking the heavens for how coherent he's coming across. Hyungwon smiles thankfully, and bows his head as he enters.

“Thank you,” the other man mumbles. He glances around, a simple smile adorning his features. “Is, uh, Kihyunnie ready to go?”

As if on cue, Kihyun and Changkyun come rushing into the room, the older grasping the younger boy’s hand tightly in his own.

“Appa!” Kihyun says excitedly, a bright smile coming to his face. “Could we have chicken for dinner tonight?”

“You can eat with us!” Changkyun immediately offers, causing Hoseok to tense up ever so slightly. “That’s what we’re eating tonight.” Changkyun then turns to his father, dropping Kihyun’s hand as he latched himself onto Hoseok’s hand and peers up at him with the most adorable little pout you could ever see on a little boy. “Can’t they stay over for dinner, Appa? We always have too much food for just us.”

Hoseok is take aback by the question, glancing up with a stunned gaze at Hyungwon. He licks his lips nervously, unsure of how he should respond. He can’t ever say no to his son, especially when he makes that face.

“Can we, Appa?” Kihyun asks excitedly, batting his eyelashes in an effort to look cute. Hyungwon shifts on his feet, a conflicted light dancing through his doe-like orbs. Something about the expression humbled the other male, makes him seem much more relatable. Clearly, he isn’t very used to saying no to his son, either.

“You two are welcome to stay, if you don’t have plans,” Hoseok finds himself saying, trying to make it easy for the other to decline if he’d prefer to not eat dinner after a day of work at a stranger’s home.

Hyungwon glances between his son and Hoseok a couple of times before finally chuckling, patting his son’s head affectionately.

“As long as you’re sure it isn’t an imposition...” Hyungwon says, a gentle smile overtaking his thick lips. Hoseok hums as he shakes his head, earning a yell of delight from the two boys.

“Of course not,” Hoseok assures him, chuckling at their sons’ excitement.

“Thank you, Appa!” the two boys say to their respective fathers, and then run off to play in Changkyun’s room. Hoseok and Hyungwon share a helpless glance.

“Come on in,” Hoseok says jovially, gesturing towards the living room. “I’ll just go order the chicken.” Hyungwon nods, removing his shoes and placing them in the shoe rack before moving further into the apartment. He swallows thickly as he walks, unsure if this was really such a good idea after all. 


End file.
